The Office

Mummy always asked: “Portia, what would you like to be when you grow up?”

“A puppy!” I once replied. “A doctor!” I said the next night. “A police woman!” I shouted in a eureka moment when I watched a program about policemen and criminals.

“A teacher!” I exclaimed on my first day of school.

“A swing! I wanna be a swing Mummy!” I said one day when we were in a park. Amused, Mummy chuckled and picked me up. “Why a swing sweetie?”

“Because it makes kids happy…” I grinned back at her.

“Well then, I’d have to sit on you if you were a swing,” she said. “And I think you’d get pretty giddy having to swing up and down all the time.”

I thought about it for awhile. “Hmm… okay then, maybe not a swing. A chocolate maybe? I wanna be chocolate Mummy! I’d be really nice and sweet.”

Mummy burst out laughing. “You’re already sweet as you are.” She gave me a kiss on my forehead.



Two weeks later, I finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up, or so I thought. It happened one day when Mummy didn’t allow me to go to the mall with Trish’s family.

“I’ll let you go when you’re older Porsh. Not today okay?”

I pouted. “I wanna be older now!”

She sighed and turned to me. “No Porsh. I’m only gonna allow you to go alone when you’re an adult okay? Until then, Mummy’s gotta be there with you. And I’m busy today.”

That was when I decided. “I’M GOING TO BE AN ADULT!” I declared with firm resolve as I stomped into my room, leaving Mummy in the kitchen looking utterly stunned and amused.

So imagine my excitement when Mummy had to bring me to the office for a whole month because of the holidays.



The office, as I thought, had to be a place filled with adults, adults and more adults.

Mummy sat me down at a desk and gave me some paper and colour pencils. “Sweetie, just sit here and do your colouring quietly okay? Mummy’s gonna be busy with work.” She said as she turned toward her computer.

I nodded and swiveled my chair, holding on to the arm rests and looking at my surroundings taking everything in.

“I’m gonna be an adult today.” I told myself.

Soon I noticed that the funny lady in the cubicle beside me was filling up pieces of paper. “That’s what adults must do as adults!” I thought to myself, happy at my deduction.

I took the pieces of paper Mummy had given me and scribbled with my colour pencils, attempting to look as ‘adult’ like as possible.



Soon, my tummy started to rumble.



“Mummy, is it lunch time yet?”

“No sweetie. You’re gonna have to wait.” Mummy replied.

I twiddled my fingers and hummed a nursery rhyme.

“Now Mummy?”

“No. Not yet.”

I waited a few more seconds.

“Now?”

“Portia, you are going to have to wait okay? We’ll go for lunch after I’m done with this.” Mummy said as she continued to stare at the computer screen.

“Aww… I’m hungry… hungry~!” I started to sing.

Seeing that Mummy was clearly ignoring me, I started to feel bored and decided to play with stationery.

“BOOM! VROOM!” I exclaimed, imagining my pen and stapler were two crazy race cars in a race.

“Portia, can you please keep it down?” Mummy sounded irritated.

“boom… vroom…” I whispered.

Soon after, I got bored again.

I placed my head on the table and watched Mummy’s fingers run over the keyboard like grasshoppers hopping on the keys playing ‘Catch’. They made a funny “Clack, Clack” sound.

“Clack clack clack clack clack… clack clack…” went the keys.



“Mummy, I’m bored… is being an adult always this boring?” I asked.

“Hmm… pretty much sweetheart. Hold on…”

More noise of the keys.

“Okay. I’m done! Ready for lunch Porsh?” mummy turned to look at me.

“Uh huh… “I replied in a daze.

“Let’s go then!” Mummy held my hand and we walked to the café down the street for lunch.



We sat at a table by the window. Mummy was flipping through the menu and I was staring at the adults outside: running, walking really fast, some looked angry and others just looked tired.

“Porsh, what would you like to eat?”

“What do adults eat Mummy?”

“Hmm” Mummy thought about it for awhile. “Greens? Adults always eat greens”

“Yucky!” I exclaimed. “Umm, but I’m an adult today… so I must eat greens...right?  Okay mummy. I’ll have some greens…”

Mummy raised her eyebrows. “You sure? You’re gonna have to finish ALL of it you know?” she smiled.

I nodded as I turned my attention back to the adults outside.

Mummy ordered.



About half an hour later, the waitress lady returned with a salad and a plate of fries.

“The fries would be mine” Mummy said.

The waitress lady placed the fries in front of Mummy and the salad in front of me.

“Mummy! You said adults eat greens!”

“Oh I did, didn’t I? Would you like my fries then Porsh?” she asked.

Completely forgetting that I was an ‘adult’, I jumped at the offer. “Can I Mummy?”

“Hmm, you sure? I don’t think its very adult like.”

“I like fries” I said, ignoring her statement and eyeing the fresh hot plate of fries.

Mummy laughed and we swapped plates.



We finished lunch and I held Mummy’s hand as we walked back up the street to the office.

“Mummy…”

“Hmm?”

“I wanna be a French fry.”

Mummy chuckled. “Of course you do.”